FERNWOOD FAMILY NEWSLETTER #38, 6/3/25

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

~Wednesday, June 4rd, 2025, 6:00pm  PTO Meeting,  Humboldt Park Beer Garden OR the Fernwood Library as a rain location

~Thursday, June 5th, 2025, Field Day, Fernwood Montessori

~Friday, June 6th, 2025, NO SCHOOL

~Sunday, June 8th, 2025, 11am-3pm, Fernwood Flights, Sugar Maple Bar

~Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, 6:30pm,  Fernwood Fund Meeting, Fernwood Library and virtual (email brett.mytys@gmail.com for link)

~Thursday, June 12th, 2025, 5:30pm, 8th Grade Completion Ceremony, Bayview High School Auditorium

~Thursday, June 12th, 2025, 6:30pm, Music Parents Meeting, Virtual https://meet.google.com/fpf-rvca-uuk

~Friday, June 13th, 2025, Last Day of School, Fernwood Montessori

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Volunteers Needed for Field Day Afternoon Session!

Please consider taking a volunteer shift for Field Day in the afternoon….big kids need supervision, too!

Field Day is happening on June 5th. There are two sessions that need volunteers (8-10:45am and 1-2pm).  Please sign up below to help out for one (or both) of the sessions. Please email Cari at cariannbell@gmail.com if you have questions about volunteering.

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PTO Moved to 6/4

The last PTO meeting of the year has been moved to 6/4 at 6pm at the Humboldt Park beer garden!  Yes, the last meeting of the year can totally be your first meeting!

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Yearbooks are here!

Yearbooks are in the hands of teachers and will be sent home today and tomorrow (or yesterday if the kids pressured them into it!)!  There are a few extra yearbooks in the Main Office for purchase (accidentally).  Yearbooks are $12 and are being sold first come, first serve (i.e. you must have money in hand to get one). You may pay with cash or check made out to Fernwood Montessori.  Extra special thanks to Amanda Lavoe, our volunteer yearbook coordinator, who created an awesome book this year!

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CAMP Forms for 2025-2026

Please see below for two forms for Camp for the 2025-2026 school year.  One form is for existing families to renew for next year.  The other form is for families who would want a spot next year in wraparound or after school care if/when they become available.  Detailed info is on the forms.

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Lost and Found Clean Out on 6/11

Words to describe the lost and found in its current state:

chaos

disorder

overflowing

colorful

jungle

tangle

corner

of

doom

It is almost time for these things to move on!  Please come and look through items in our lost and found ASAP.  The lost and found is located in the basement under the stairs in the north east corner of the building.  Items not claimed will be donated on June 11th.  Thank you!

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School Supply Lists for the 2025-2026 School Year

Here are the school supply lists for next year by grade band.  Students should also arrive on the first day with a positive attitude, a sense of humor, a willingness to learn, and a COOL story from summer break!

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Food drive for the Bay View Community Center

First, you drive your canned goods to school.

Then, someone else drives the goods to the Bay View Community Center Food Pantry.

Lastly, a person experiencing food insecurity drives your donated food home and eats dinner…..AMAZING!

Let’s do some driving, Fernwood!  We can make a big impact in the Bay View community before the school year comes to a close! Fernwood Montessori is collecting food for the Bay View Community Center Food Pantry. Drop off boxes are located inside the Falling Heath doors. Last day to donate food is June 4. The following items can be collected:

Any questions, contact Sam at samskizycki@gmail.com.

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Fernwood Flights- Sunday, June 8th – Tickets Selling Fast

Fernwood Parents…don’t miss out on the end of the year celebration and fundraiser known as Fernwood Flights.  Get some childcare in place for Sunday, 6/8 and join us at Sugar Maple in Bay View for an afternoon of food, music, and fun!  Besides a great social event, proceeds of ticket sales and the auctions/raffles go straight back into Fernwood Montessori through the Fernwood Fund.  This is a 21-and-over  ticketed event, so get your tickets asap.  We have also enhanced the Key Supporter ticket this year with a commemorative glass and additional beer samples.  Tickets can be purchased here:

Here is a sneak peak at some of our major auction items that will be available at the event:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jusn6c4QoORY0AedLjdvEHFMfESjIyS8/view?usp=sharing

We can’t wait to see you there!

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Last Chance to see the Art Show at Beans and Barley

The Beans and Barley Art Show is still on display until June 6th!  See it while you can!

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Summer Cross Country Opportunity for Rising 5-8th Graders (Current 4th-7th)

The Milwaukee Recreation Youth Sports Office is excited to partner with High School Athletics Coaches to offer a Coed Summer Cross Country Camp Series designed to help middle school athletes prepare for the fall season. This 7-session camp is open to students entering 5th–8th grade (ages 11–14) and is ideal for building endurance, strength, and confidence, regardless of skill level.

It’s a great way for young athletes to stay active during the summer and get a head start on their fall Season.

For registration or additional info, families can visit the Recreation Website or contact our office.

Future Hawks Cross Country Camp (Youth Sports)

Dates: July 7 – July 21, 2025

Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: Madison Park – Milwaukee County Parks

Ages: 11–14.99

Fee: $36.00 (residents) / $54.00 (non-residents)

Program Code: RC01

Focus Areas: Running form, drills, warm-ups/cool-downs, course running

To celebrate the camp’s conclusion, participants are invited to join the Future Hawks Fun Run—free for all camp participants!

Future Hawks Fun Run

Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025

Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: Madison Park – Milwaukee County Parks

Ages: 5–14.99

Fee: $6.00 (residents) / $9.00 (non-residents)

Race Distances: 500m, 1000m, and 3K

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Camp Closed on June 6th

Fernwood Camp will be closed on June 6th.  Thanks!

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Attendance Recapture for Illness

Parents will complete this form to communicate with the Fernwood office evidence of student work completed at home so that attendance may be recaptured (UADI).  This is only available if a child is home ill (appointments, funerals or travel do not count).  You will get an attendance call as this will be checked later in the day, so please don’t worry.  If you fill this out, we will get the attendance recaptured.  Work options can be found in the description on the google form.

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Information on MPS Lead Testing Clinic for MPS Families

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OUR SCHOOL IS COOL!

There’s always something COOL going on at Fernwood!

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Fernwood students are scholars, artists, musicians, farmers, writers, and also THESPIANS!  COOL!  It is theater season at Fernwood and it’s bananas!

Performances happening this week and next week include:

The musical “Matilda” featuring the Nikol-ites in Room 33.

Room 37 is doing a Fernwood’s Got Talent Showcase to display our many talents and abilities!

Room 31 is doing a play called “Different Dimensions” (I so want this to be a Pink Floyd laser light show!).

Room 32 is performing “Across the Ice”.

Ms. Meredith is performing her one woman show, “Woman Distracted by Sunshine on the Verge of Summer Break” (there are 7 performances daily).

“Donuts” featuring students from Room 25 (this is not a donut sale, I checked).

Why all the drama you ask?  Those of you who want to increase your Montessori knowledge (all of us!) can read below about how drama is important to Montessori curriculum for Upper El.  This is also a fun activity to get us through the last few weeks of school when young people need to move their bodies and teachers need young people to move their bodies.  A win for everyone!

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Mr. Matt “Of Sunshine” Ray has expanded his sphere of influence to our Camp program!  He seems to be positioning himself for total world domination (am I the only one that is worried about this?)…these actions are the reverse of retirement but kids digging in the dirt is the COOLEST!

Take a look at these dirty birdies having fun!  Thanks Mr. Ray for spreading your sunshine!  Thanks to the Camp program for creatively keeping kids busy!

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Four Fernwood adolescent students ran a half marathon on 6/1.  These ladies showed some Pirate power by pounding the pavement in Manitowoc for 13.1 miles!  Wow!

If you see Gail Andrews, Magnolia Hall, Lillian Sexauer, and Charlene Wencka give them a high five and a drink of water!  COOL!

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Students in Ms. Jean’s class (which is currently being captained by first mate Ms. Heidi) are in charge of their own culinary destiny!  COOL! These students often have lunch in their rooms.  Instead of settling for room temperature or cold sandwiches (Boooo!), students have the option of putting their sandwiches in a panini press and making a warm sandwich (Yaaaay!)!  This is a perfect example of Montessori teachers creating a child-centered place for students (the prepared environment).  Who came up with this idea?  Who knows (probably a precocious Upper El kid with an extra extension chord)?  But, it is a good example of Fernwood Montessori being a place of “Yes!” and “Why not?” and “You can handle it!” instead of a place of “No!” and “Probably not!” and “That’s too messy!” for kids.  COOL (not really, the sandwiches are hot)!  See below for some pictures of the panini press options for both regular and nut free-folks!  Why haven’t we all been grilling our PB and Js!??!  Thanks for the tip, Room 25!

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Did you know that in addition to Ms. Makula there are MANY other former art teachers and current artists who work here at Fernwood?  Ms. Nikoll, Ms. Balistreri-Geib, Ms. Andi, Ms. Kellie, Mr. Trey, Ms. Kelsey, Ms. Kari, and Mr. Jaecks were all either art majors, art education majors, or they dabble and sell their visual art work.  There are also ballerinas, potters, musicians, writers, chefs, and gardeners among our ranks.  Pretty much every adult in this building has some sort of creative pursuit that they bring to their work with children.  One example is in Ms. Andi’s room!  She reads longer chapter books with her students and when they are done with a book, she makes a small art project with egg cartons to commemorate the story. I was in her room one day and I noticed these little creatures noticing me!  On her wall, you can see that they have read Matilda, Charlotte’s Web, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox this year.  Just another thing that is happening in our building that is COOL!